A politician described as ‘the greatest minister for agriculture this country has ever seen’ is to have a roundabout named after him in Clonakilty.
A POLITICIAN described as ‘the greatest minister for agriculture this country has ever seen’ is to have a roundabout named after him in Clonakilty.
A motion tabled by Cllr Joe Carroll (FF) asking for the roundabout at the junction of the N71 and R880 on the western side of Clonakilty town to be named after the late Joe Walsh met with unanimous approval at a meeting of the Municipal District of West Cork last week.
Cllr Carroll said the naming of the junction would ‘honour a great man’, a man who was ‘a great advocate for the food industry in West Cork’, and a man who ‘is very well thought of all over West Cork.
‘In time,’ Cllr Carroll said, ‘he will be honoured in a much greater way than a roundabout in Clonakilty.’
It was also noted that Joe Walsh played a major part in making Clonakilty the vibrant and diverse town it is today and the role the former minister played in the development of the West Cork Technology Park, which today provides 1,000 sustainable jobs.
Cllr Patrick Gerard Murphy, also of Fianna Fail, said: ‘The naming ceremony would be a small indication of people’s appreciation of the former agriculture minister.’
Bantry councillors Mary Hegarty (FG) and Danny Collins (Ind) supported the motion with Cllr Collins saying: ‘Every town was jealous of Clonakilty because it was getting this and that.’
The Council’s municipal officer, Justin England, informed the Municipal District members that they first need to seek the permission of Transport Infrastructure Ireland.
‘We need to seek out how it is going to look, be painted, and the sight views, as well as who is going to fund the work,’ he said. But once that has been approved the work can go ahead, he added.
